diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 1d8ce433..fe9a1e47 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -466,9 +466,6 @@ add_flex_bison_dependency(SdfLex SdfParser)
 
 ################################################################
 
-# all hell breaks loose with cmake 3.16.2
-#cmake_policy(SET CMP<0078> NEW)
-#set(UseSWIG_TARGET_NAME_PREFERENCE STANDARD)
 find_package(SWIG REQUIRED 3.0)
 include(UseSWIG)
 
@@ -477,16 +474,18 @@ set(STA_SWIG_FILE app/StaApp.i)
 set_property(SOURCE ${STA_SWIG_FILE}
   PROPERTY CPLUSPLUS ON
 )
-set_property(SOURCE ${STA_SWIG_FILE}  
-  PROPERTY COMPILE_OPTIONS -module sta -namespace -prefix sta
-)
-set_property(SOURCE ${STA_SWIG_FILE}  
-  PROPERTY INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES
-  ${STA_HOME}/tcl
-  ${STA_HOME}/sdf
-  ${STA_HOME}/dcalc
-  ${STA_HOME}/parasitics
-  ${STA_HOME}/verilog
+# Ubuntu 18.04 apt version is 3.10.2 that does not support the
+# COMPILE_OPTIONS and INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES properties so cram
+# them into SWIG_FLAGS for the time being.
+set_property(SOURCE ${STA_SWIG_FILE}
+  PROPERTY SWIG_FLAGS
+  -module sta
+  -namespace -prefix sta
+  -I${STA_HOME}/tcl
+  -I${STA_HOME}/sdf
+  -I${STA_HOME}/dcalc
+  -I${STA_HOME}/parasitics
+  -I${STA_HOME}/verilog
 )
 
 swig_add_library(sta_swig